Why are people choosing not to believe in climate change

It might be about time that people stop refusing to acknowledge the fact that climate change exists and is a real problem in our world.

We often hear the term “global warming” being thrown around, but there are still thousands of people out there who believe that because they haven’t felt it getting warmer or that it’s just as cold as normal, our planet and the integrity of life as we know it is fine, according to the Public Religion Research Institute’s report on climate beliefs.

However, NASA scientists have stated that this past January was the third warmest that North America has experienced in over 137 years.

Since people don’t want to believe that we, as humans, are the main reason behind our changing climate and the fact that we are slowly killing our planet, it’s harder to get them to make an effort to make changes. We all want a greener world, but the enthusiasm to act on that desire is limited.

Nobody wants to believe that what they’re seeing and hearing about is really happening — whether it be the melting of the Arctic ice caps or the extreme snow and rainfall (or lack thereof) that happens all around the globe.

The fact remains that people will believe what they want to believe and it’s incredibly hard, if not impossible, to change their minds.

We’re wired to believe certain things, and they often come from exposure from outside sources, not simply found within ourselves. We hear things on the news, from politicians and the government, the church and in science. From all of these sources, we decided to believe whoever we trust the most and we take sides. After that point, it’s hard to switch.

Humans are inherently followers, so it’s not shocking to find out that people will take one person or groups ideas and run with them. Religious and political views are big contenders when it comes to this.

There are those who support the claims that since God created the world, the animals and us, He must be the one calling all the shots. This makes him the one who causes all the changing weather, and it must be happening for a good reason.

On the other hand, people will believe Earth’s changing conditions are a result of the human impact on the land and caused by all the pollution and garbage we continue to mass produce.

In a study on the trust of scientific and religious authorities published in the journal Public Understanding of Science, 2,800 people were questioned on their beliefs and who they choose to put their trust in: university scientists, industry scientists, or religious organizations.

For those who identify with a religious community, they are less likely to trust and agree with industry and university science, while those who do not are more likely to trust the science.

The same can be seen when looking at political views. The more liberal respondents trust what is claimed and backed up by scientists and studies, leaving the republican/conservative prone to following the religious claims.

There’s no doubt that there’s something going on with our climate and that it is indeed changing regardless of whether or not people believe the weather around them is “really” different. The thing I’m sure we can all agree on is that people will always have conflicting arguments for and against it.

Science definitely has a hold over the natural world and is a big contender when it comes to new findings and understanding the changes that we see. Whether you choose to believe it or not is up to you.